


The Adventures of The Balloon Flower by F. Strife, Dragon Hunter

by Gothams_Only_Wolf



Series: Under The Wing of A Nibel Dragon [1]
Category: Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Animal Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-05 21:33:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20495678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothams_Only_Wolf/pseuds/Gothams_Only_Wolf
Summary: In which another dragon protects ShinRa's most powerful SOLDIER.





	The Adventures of The Balloon Flower by F. Strife, Dragon Hunter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RainofLittleFishes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainofLittleFishes/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Good Riddance](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21199049) by [Gothams_Only_Wolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothams_Only_Wolf/pseuds/Gothams_Only_Wolf), [Vinvalen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vinvalen/pseuds/Vinvalen). 
  * Inspired by [In Which Mrs. Strife, Newly Widowed, Fixes What She Can](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1856892) by [RainofLittleFishes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainofLittleFishes/pseuds/RainofLittleFishes). 

> I blame the art I came across https://shramir.tumblr.com/post/187445670143/baby-sephiroth-happy-labor-day-twitter , which is bby!Seph with the sword and the rest is history! 
> 
> Enjoy with caution~
> 
> **EDIT:** I highly recommend the Inspired By stories linked above before reading through the rest of the series.

* * *

**-Nibel Range; September 14, 0900-**

There were a great many things that Fenris had faced in his lifetime but the sight of Sephiroth with a sword longer than he was tall, heading into the Nibel range with nothing else but the clothing on his back just might break him.

Fenris picked up his glaives, packed for a hunt and gave Anika a soft peck that she returned with a quizzical noise. 

"They've sent the _kind_ out." 

She frowned, made to get up from her chair and then sighed when Fenris gently pressed her back into it. "Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I'm useless, Fen." 

"The doctor said bed rest, _liebe_." He chided, "I'm bending the rules as it is letting you sit upright. I'll watch over Seph." 

"You'd better come back with a wolf steak then. That's all your little monster wants right now." She surrendered with ill grace, scowling at the knitting needles as though they'd done her a personal wrong. 

They both knew that he couldn't come back with Sephiroth, no matter how sorely the wound of dismissal had stung. 

"Will do, heart of my heart." 

"Be safe." 

"Always am."

* * *

Sephiroth shivered in his short sleeves and stalked a Nibel Wolf, the sword held at an angle as to not touch the rocks. 

Fenris stalked Sephiroth, glaive at the ready to defend the child he considered his son. 

A flash of silver, a yelp and then Sephiroth was crying, his tiny fingers carding through the bloodied fur of the deceased Nibel Wolf. 

Fenris made a noise and Sephiroth's grip on his sword shifted. 

"It's me, _kind_. Have you forgotten me?" He asked softly, sheathing the glaive's pole and raising his hands in surrender. 

Sephiroth dropped the blade, his body bowed from the heaving sobs he let loose against Fenris' chest. He curled around Sephiroth, crooning in the back of his throat as he hugged his child. "Fen-fen!" 

"Shhhh. I'm here. I'm here." The sobs broke his heart but nothing either of them weren't familiar with already. "Shall I teach you the way of the mountains, then?" 

"Huh?" Wet green eyes looked up and then flinched at the sight of the dead wolf. 

"Death is a part of life, _kind_, here in the mountains and elsewhere. It was you or the wolf and you chose life. Defense is natural, Sephi." He murmured as he let Sephiroth turn around in his arms to look. "His coat would keep you warm, his meat to keep you full. Accept his death and thank him for it." 

Sephiroth sniffed, wiped at his nose with his sleeve and said, "Sorry Mr. Wolf. Thank you." 

"I'm going to take him with me, so you don't have to look." 

"Hojo makes me look." The sniffled reply made Fenris inhale and then blow out a breath. 

"I wouldn't make you, Sephi, you know that." 

"Mmhmm." 

"... do you want to watch?" He asked, regretting the question as soon as it left his mouth. Of course—

"No." Relief swept through him at the definitive answer. 

"Alright then, let me clean your hands so you can put them over your eyes." Fenris gently wiped the blood away, placed the tiny hands over precious green eyes. "Do you remember the song about the bees?" 

"Sweet little bumbees?" 

"Mm. I want you to hum that as loud as possible, okay?" 

"Okay." 

He cleaned and skinned the wolf, leaving the offal behind a boulder for the other animals in the range. Fenris cut off strips and used his camping skewers to roast them over a quick, smokeless Fira Materia. 

"All done, _kind_. Have you eaten?" He prodded gently as he tucked Sephiroth into his lap, the swish of silver hair reaching a tiny jaw that looked an awful lot like Sharpshooter's. 

Fenris shoved the thought of parental rights to the side; he had his own family to worry about now, no matter how desperately he loved the child in his lap. 

"... no. Can I?" 

"These are for you and me to share." He offered one, Sephiroth chewing without question. "How long are they leaving you out here?" 

Sephiroth held up four meat-sticky fingers. "Full circle of clock." 

"Four hours," he corrected as he listened to Sephiroth eat his way through the strips. "Slow down, you'll hurt your tummy like that." Fenris dug into his item pouch and pulled out the snap peas he'd bought from Alric. "Eat these too, okay?" 

"What are they?" Sephiroth asked, hair brushing Fenris' chin as he looked up.

"Snap peas. Vegetables but not so yucky as broccoli." 

"Oh. Okay." The crunch of the peas joined the meat, Fenris keeping watch in the cool autumn day. Sephiroth shivered and Fenris pulled out his poncho, the rough blanket practically enveloping the tiny frame. "Fen-fen?" 

"Yeah?" 

"I'm tired." 

"Then rest." 

"Pinkie?" 

"I pinkie promise to still be here when you wake up, Sephi." He hooked his pinkie around the smaller one, looking down at his former charge as green eyes slid shut for what was likely the first time in days. 

Fenris pulled one of his glaives and sat vigil, one hand trapped by Sephiroth but ready to shift position should he need to. 

He hummed snatches of Nibel eddas, songs he'd heard on the hunter radio and old Nibel lullabies while watching the tufts of grass in the tiny valley. 

The crocus and balloon flowers swayed in the light breeze, the glint of the still bloodied blade within the peaceful setting making Fenris angry at Hojo. He cleaned it with chunks of grass, lost in thought. 

Sephiroth was _four_, for Fenrir's sake, sending him out alone should've been **unthinkable**; let alone sending him out with a blade and expecting him to kill monsters. 

The steady breathing at roughly his elbow made him calmer than he'd been, the sight of splayed silver hair over his knee more soothing than he thought.

* * *

Sephiroth jerked awake, his hand reaching for the blade that Fenris had slowly cleaned over the course of an hour and a half. 

"Fen-fen, can you come with me?" 

"Where to, _kind_?" 

"I... I have to level up." A quick Libra told Fenris it wasn't much more than another Wolf's worth of experience. 

"Here, there's a Mako-drunk pack that way. We'll take them on together?" He offered, showing Sephiroth the Scan of the area. 

"Really?" 

"Really." 

"Yes please." Sephiroth replied as they started walking. Fenris cleared his throat and Sephiroth stopped. "Fen-fen?" 

"Can I take you there?" 

"No, I got it." He hummed, taking the rocky trail a couple of steps at a time, tongue peeking out as he concentrated on following Fenris' boot pattern. 

Fenris chuckled, shortened his stride and lead the way, happy to spend time with Sephiroth.

* * *

He led the way back after he'd helped take down the pack, teaching Sephiroth how to clean his blade with grass as they walked. 

Fenris gave him another hug, paused and sighed. "I have to go again, _kind_. Don't tell anyone we were together." 

"Mm-mm. Love you Fen-fen." 

"... love you too, Sephi." He sighed as he held Sephiroth close, his grip probably tighter than it should've been before Fenris released Sephiroth.

"'Bye!" The small legs worked as they clambered down towards the ShinRa Mansion. 

"May the gods watch over you," Fenris murmured before drawing the ward of the Strife family god, Fenrir.

**Author's Note:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


End file.
